W. L. Holland Papers

Overview:
Born in New Zealand in 1907, Bill Holland first traveled to Japan at the age of 21 to take part in the conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations, beginning over thirty years of association with the organization. During his time at IPR, Holland held a number of leadership positions, including Research Secretary (1933-1944), Secretary-General (1946-1960), and editor of its periodicals Far Eastern Survey and Pacific Affairs. He took leave from the IPR twice: to study for a MA in economics under John Maynard Keynes at Cambridge (1934) and, during the Second World War, to become acting director of the Office of War Information in Chungking, China. Founded on an internationalist philosophy as a forum to discuss relations between Pacific nations, the IPR was targeted under the McCarthy-era McCarran act during the 1950s, accused of Communist sympathies. After political pressure led the IPR to disband in 1960, Holland accepted a position on faculty with the newly created Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia (1961-1972), helping to lead that department to international prominence. He remained in BC until the death of his wife Doreen in 1990, after which he settled in Amherst to live with his only child, Patricia G. Holland. Holland died in Amherst in May 2008.

The Holland Papers are a dense assemblage of correspondence of Bill Holland, his wife Doreen, and their family, from his first trip abroad in the 1920s through the time of his death. Although largely personal in nature, the letters offer important insight into Holland’s travel in pre-war Asia, his work with the IPR, the war, and the of the 1950s. The collection also includes a wealth of photographs, including two albums documenting trips to Japan, China, and elsewhere 1929-1933.

Background on William L. Holland

W.L. Holland, 1938

William Lancelot Holland was born in South Malvern, New Zealand in 1907, the oldest of four sons. He came from humble beginnings: his father was a railroad worker and he worked on sheep stations to support himself. While at Canterbury College, a professor recommended that he work at a conference put on by the Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) in Japan. So began a more than thirty year association with the organization, serving in various roles: as Research Secretary (1933-1934), Secretary-General (1946-1960), and editor of its periodicals Far Eastern Survey and Pacific Affairs. Holland twice took leave from the organization: in 1934 to pursue a degree in economics at King's College, Cambridge University under the tutelage of John Maynard Keynes, and from 1944-1945 to serve as acting director of the Office of War Information in Chungking, China.

The IPR was immensely important as a forum to discuss the internationalist approach to understanding political relations of the countries around the Pacific Rim. Long before the Far East became a part of the common consciousness as a result of the Pacific Theater in World War II, the IPR advocated increased understanding of Asian-North American relations through rigorous scholarly pursuit. Because of its internationalist philosophy and supposed pro-Communist leanings, the IPR came under attack by Alfred Kohlberg and Joseph McCarthy and was formally investigated under the McCarran act in the 1950s. In 1955, the institute lost its tax exempt status, and it subsequently engaged in a five-year political battle to regain its status. Though the IRS eventually ruled that the IPR was not guilty of spreading any partisan-propaganda, the drain on funds due to taxes and legal fees caused the IPR to disband in 1960. However, they continued to separately publish Pacific Affairs, the institute's journal, with Holland serving as editor until 1978. Pacific Affairs is published to this day.

Upon leaving the Institute in 1960, Holland became head of the newly-created Asian Studies department at the University of British Columbia. Holland led the growth of the department into one of the pre-eminent Asian Studies departments in America. In 1972 he achieved the title of Professor Emeritus, while in 1989 the University Awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Laws due to his contributions to the field of International Law. Holland lived in British Colombia until 1990, when he left after the death of his wife, Doreen. He reloacted to Amherst, Massachusetts to live with his only child, Patricia G. Holland. William L. Holland died at the age of 100 in 2008.

Contents of Collection

The Holland papers are a rich assemblage of materials from the life of William Holland, largely correspondence between William and his wife Doreen, as well as the rest of their family. The collection spans from his first trip abroad in the late 1920s until the time of his death. Largely personal in nature, this collection offers insight into the personal aspirations and motivations of William Holland, as well as frank recollections and descriptions of his experiences as leader of the Institute of Pacific Relations. Topics that receive particular attention are Holland's travel in pre-war Asia, day-to-day work at the IPR, the Second World War and the war in Korea in the 1950s.

The collection also includes a wealth of photographs, including two albums documenting trips to Japan, China, and other countries later in Holland's life, as well as some photos from his first trip to Asia between 1929-1933. Of particular note are two photograph albums of tours of Japan and China in the early 1930s, and a packet of personal images taken at the Japanese surrender of Nanjing, 1945. The collection also includes an album composed of farewell notes given to Holland on occasion of his departure from the IPR in 1960; contributors to this album include Abe Fortas (Supreme Court Justice), Ralph Bunche (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) and Phillips Talbot (U.S Ambassador to Greece), among others.

Valuable audio recordings focused on Holland's career and his experience with the Institute of Pacific Relations include personal reminiscences, extensive interviews with historians Paul F. Hooper and John F. Howes in the late 1980s, and an oral history of Holland and his wife Doreen conducted by their daughter Patricia G. Holland. Also recorded are lectures delivered by Holland at the University of British Columbia in 1973.

Collection inventory

Series 1. Correspondence

1921-2008

Akami, Tomoko

2002-2005

Box 1: 1

Aklujkar, Ashok

2002-2007

Box 1: 2

Anderson, Michael

2005-2007

Box 1: 3

Anderson, Mona

1958-2001

Box 1: 4

Anthony, David H.

1996

Box 1: 5

Arntzen, Sonja Kato

1968-2006

Box 1: 6

Austin, Allen S.

1953-1955

Box 1: 7

Barber, Jasper Jon

2006-2007

Box 1: 8

Barber, Lucy

2003-2008

Box 1: 9

Barnes, Betty

1985

Box 1: 10

Belshaw, Cyril

1980-2008

Box 1: 11

Belshaw, Diana

1979-1980

Box 1: 12

Belshaw, Horace

1980

Box 1: 13

Berkowitz, Sylvia

1958

Box 1: 14

Blanchard, Mary

1958-1960

Box 1: 15

Browder, Earl

1951

Box 1: 16

Carter, Edward C.

1951

Box 1: 17

Carter, Edward C. (originals at Columbia University)

1950-1959

Box 1: 18

Carter, Paul

2006

Box 1: 19

Carter, Valerie

2008

Box 1: 20

Carter, William

2004

Box 1: 21

Conant, Melvin

1954

Box 1: 22

Condliffe, Peter G.

2000-2006

Box 1: 23

Corbett, P. E.

1947

Box 1: 24

Dean, Arthur H.

1952

Box 1: 25

Dore, Ronald and Nancy

1990-2008

Box 1: 26

Dubin, Martin David

1988

Box 1: 27

Evans, Paul

1990

Box 1: 28

Fairbank, John K.

1946-1984

Box 1: 29

Fairfax-Cholmeley, Elsie

1962

Box 1: 30

Fedoruk, Keith

2005

Box 1: 31

Finkelstein, Lawrence S.

2002-2007

Box 1: 32

Garnett, Jacqueline

1999-2008

Box 1: 33

Gelfan, Harriet

1984-2004

Box 1: 34

Gerbode, Martha

1951

Box 1: 35

Gerson, Jack J.

1970

Box 1: 36

Goldman, Rene

1998-2004

Box 1: 37

Gordon, Eleanor Breed

1983

Box 1: 38

Green, Dave

2003-2005

Box 1: 39

Green, Michael F.

1986

Box 1: 40

Greene, Candy

1995

Box 1: 41

Harari, Ehud

1988-2006

Box 1: 42

Harnetty, Peter

1992-2007

Box 1: 43

Hatano, K.

1988

Box 1: 44

Hayford, Charles

1986

Box 1: 45

Healy, Mary F.?

ca.1955

Box 1: 46

Healy, Richard

2005-2006

Box 1: 47

Heinrichs, Waldo

2007

Box 1: 48

Hersey, John

1984

Box 1: 49

Holland, Ada E.

1932-1935

Box 1: 50

Holland, Ada E.

1936-1939

Box 1: 51

Holland, Ada E.

1940-1951

Box 1: 52

Holland, Ada E.

1952-1960

Box 1: 53

Holland, Ada E.

1961-1976

Box 1: 54

Holland, Ada E.

1977-1981

Box 1: 55

Holland, Doreen P.

1921-1929

Box 1: 56

Holland, Doreen P.

1930

Box 1: 57

Holland, Doreen P.

1931-1932

Box 1: 58

Holland, Doreen P.

1934-1935

Box 1: 59

Holland, Doreen P.

1942-1943

Box 1: 60

Holland, Doreen P.

1945 Jan-Apr.

Box 1: 61

Holland, Doreen P.

1945 May-Sept.

Box 1: 62

Holland, Doreen P.

1946-1947

Box 1: 63

Holland, Doreen P.

1949

Box 1: 64

Holland, Doreen P.

1950-1955

Box 1: 65

Holland, Doreen P.

1956-1963

Box 1: 66

Holland, Doreen P.: letters to Patricia Holland

1961-1980

Box 1: 67

Holland family

1928

Box 1: 68

Holland family

1929 Jan.-June

Box 1: 69

Holland family

1929 July-Nov.

Box 1: 70

Holland family

1930-1931

Box 1: 71

Holland family

1932-1935

Box 1: 72

Holland family

1936-1940

Box 1: 73

Holland family

1941-1950

Box 1: 74

Holland, Jim

1952-1961

Box 1: 75

Holland, Kay

1958

Box 1: 76

Holland, Mervyn

1943-1961

Box 1: 77

Holland, Mervyn and family

1997-2008

Box 1: 78

Holland, Patricia

1947-1956

Box 1: 79

Holland, Patricia

1957-1961

Box 1: 80

Holland, Patricia

1962-1970

Box 1: 81

Holland, Patricia

1971-1976

Box 1: 82

Holland, Patricia

1977-1981

Box 1: 83

Holland, Patricia

1982-1986

Box 1: 84

Holland, Patricia

1987

Box 1: 85

Holland, Patricia

1988-1990

Box 1: 86

Holland, Patricia

1991-2005

Box 1: 87

Holland, Trudy and family

2002-2004

Box 1: 88

Hooper, Paul F.

1998-2007

Box 1: 89

Howes, John F.

1991-2005

Box 1: 90

Ito, Michiko

1995-1996

Box 1: 91

Kahin, George

1995

Box 1: 92

Kang, Ken

1992

Box 1: 93

Kato, Hilda and Shuichi

1977-2006

Box 1: 94

Kato, Michio

1988

Box 1: 95

Keesing, Marie

1960-1961

Box 1: 96

Kizer, Carolyn

1951-2004

Box 1: 97

Knox, Lucy

1933-1934

Box 1: 98

Ko, Jung-Kyoo

2001

Box 1: 99

Langdon, Frank

1990

Box 1: 100

Langdon, Virginia

2004-2007

Box 1: 101

Lewis, G. S.

1997

Box 1: 102

Libraries (regarding donations, research)

1992-2002

Box 1: 103

Lieser, Bill and Mary Lee

2008

Box 1: 104

Lilienthal, Philip E.

1960-1983

Box 1: 105

Loomis Village

2003-2007

Box 1: 106

Lubkeman, Lynn

1989-1996

Box 1: 107

Lyon, Peyton

1997

Box 1: 108

McGarry, Grace

1949-1950

Box 2: 1

Meehan, John

2003

Box 2: 2

Morrison, Barrie and Nancy

2004

Box 2: 3

Moseley, Eva

2004-2008

Box 2: 4

Munro, S. R.

1986

Box 2: 5

Newlands, Margot

1999-2003

Box 2: 6

Newlands, Mark

2005

Box 2: 7

Oshiro, George

2006

Box 2: 8

Overmyer, Dan

2005

Box 2: 9

Pacific Affairs

1960-2008

Box 2: 10

Pan, Naimu

1992

Box 2: 11

Richardson, Joseph I.

1989

Box 2: 12

Sasaki, Yutaka

2005-2007

Box 2: 13

Scott, Maija

2005

Box 2: 14

Shillinglaw, David L.

1966

Box 2: 15

Stevenson, Adlai E.

1958

Box 2: 16

Susskind, Monica

2005

Box 2: 17

Thorne, Christopher

1978

Box 2: 18

Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf

1992

Box 2: 19

Talbot, Phillips

1984

Box 2: 20

Truman, Harry S.

1958

Box 2: 21

Unidentified correspondents

undated

Box 2: 33

University of British Columbia

1960-2008

Box 2: 22

Upton, Tamar and Sue

1974-1989

Box 2: 23

Walker, David

1998

Box 2: 24

Walls, Jan

2005

Box 2: 25

Ward, Vanessa B.

2002

Box 2: 26

Wickberg, Edgar

2000-2007

Box 2: 27

Willmott, William E.

2000-2006

Box 2: 28

Windmiller, Marshall

1986

Box 2: 29

Woods, Lawrence T.

1999-2004

Box 2: 30

Yamaoka, Michio

1994-2000

Box 2: 31

Young, Ruth

ca.1960

Box 2: 32

Series 2. Institute of Pacific Relations

1930-2006

Akami, Tomoko: The rise and fall of a 'Pacific Sense': experiment of the Institute of Pacific Relations, 1925-1930.

1990

Box 2: 34

Album: farewell letters

1960 Dec 5

Box 4

Carter, Edward C.: A record of a career in the Institute of Pacific Relations

2006

Box 2: 35

Condliffe, John B.: Reminiscences of the Institute of Pacific Relations

1981

Box 2: 36

Institute of Pacific Relations: Ephemera

ca.1930-1960

Box 2: 37

Holland, W. L.: American institute protests un-American listing

1951

Box 2: 38

Holland, W. L.: Conflict and control in the Pacific. Institute of Pacific Relations Conference, Banff